Section: Institute for Policy Studies (USA)
Europe Braces for the Next Ukraine
If Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election in November, all sorts of hell will break loose. Mexico will face a huge border crisis. China will be hit with a new wave of tariffs. Ukraine will begin preparing itself for abandonment. And Milorad Dodik will tear apart Bosnia. Perhaps you’ve never heard of Milorad Dodik. He is the leader...
Ukraine, Israel, and the Incoherence of U.S. Foreign Policy
The process of crafting congressional legislation is often likened to sausage-making. Best not to look behind the scenes at the mechanics of the process, which is a bloody mess. But the analogy is not apt. Sure, sausage-making can be ugly. The end product, however, is presentable and usually quite tasty. The legislation that emerges from the U.S....
Last Year, You Spent More Than a Month’s Rent on Pentagon Contractors
Ever wonder where your taxes go? Each year, the Institute for Policy Studies releases a tax receipt so you can find out. One item always stands out: the Pentagon — and the contractors who profit off it. In 2023, the average taxpayer spent $2,974 on the Pentagon. Of that, just $705 went to salaries for the troops, who often have to rely on...
Stopping the Dance of Death: Building a 21st Century Anti-War Movement
With Israel carrying out a U.S.-armed and funded genocide in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, tensions in the South China Sea, and the Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight, abandoning militarism has perhaps never been more urgent. In this thoughtful roundtable, Institute for Policy Studies fellow Phyllis Bennis, Rutgers University professor Jackson...
The Critical Missing Piece from the U.S. Energy Transition
At the outset, the United States was blessed with enormous tracts of land (that it stole from the natives) and a considerable labor force (that it enslaved from Africa) to achieve economic success based largely on growing things. The next leap forward—into the industrial era—was facilitated by large deposits of coal and oil. A century later,...
Militarized Funding in Biden Budget Totals Well Over $1 Trillion (and it will grow)
Today the White House released President Biden’s budget proposal, including a proposal for $1.6 trillion in discretionary spending for FY 2025, which begins on October 1, 2024. While the larger budgets makes some important strides forward, this discretionary proposal won’t provide security we need, in terms of costs of living, quality...
United We Dream and Allies Demand Permanent Ceasefire and Immigrant Protections
“From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to go!” Last week, I joined an action hosted by United We Dream in DC’s Capitol Hill. We demanded a ceasefire now in Gaza and permanent protections for immigrants who have made the United States our home. This action was a response to Senate leaders proposing a bill earlier this month that...
The Senate’s Failed War and Border Deal is Not Security
The $118 billion bill that Senate leaders put forward this week is a deal that never should have been made. The proposal puts the U.S. and world at greater risk for wider war, props up the inexcusable actions of the far-right Netanyahu government, and adopts a Trump-like approach to immigration. Bad for Americans. The deal puts forward $118...
Are North Korea’s Latest Threats Rhetorical or Real?
The Korean War ended more than 70 years ago, and a tense peace has reigned ever since on the Korean peninsula. The two Koreas have exchanged artillery fire, battled in the economic and diplomatic arenas, and even covertly dispatched spies to each other’s territory. But the threats of a resumption of conflict, disproportionately coming from...
The End of Europe
It would be funny if it weren’t so potentially tragic — and consequential. No, I’m not thinking about Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign but a related development: the latest decisions from the European Union (EU) about Ukraine. As 2023 ended, European nations failed to agree on a $54-billion package of assistance for...
